Hate crimes surge

Partially fueled by the election of President Barack Obama and the statewide controversy over gay marriage, hate crimes based on sexual orientation shot up 21 percent in Los Angeles County last year, while religious crimes increased 14 percent, according to a county report released Thursday.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Although the total number of hate crimes countywide dropped 4 percent from 2007 to 2008, the rise in homophobic and religious-based hate crimes worried local advocate groups.

"The spike we saw in the gay and lesbian community can definitely be correlated to the influence of the Proposition 8 debate," said Amanda F. Susskind, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, referring to the ban on gay marriage that California voters approved last year.